The Sun Prince
by KeepCalmAndLove
Summary: What if Maria hadn't lived after she jumped off the cliff? It's 2013, and after that terrible night, the DeNoirs and the Merryweathers hate each other even more. Amaris Merryweather comes to Moonacre after the death of her boyfriend, and finds the missing second half of the curse. Who is the Sun Prince, and will she find him in time?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

I rest my head on my hand as I stare out the car window. Mrs. Dogwood keeps chattering on and on about the countryside and how dreadful the situation is and on and on. But I choose to ignore her. Besides, my heartache is too distracting.

"Amaris...Amaris...Amaris, wake up child. We're here." Mrs. Dogwood gently shakes me awake. "What?" I groggily ask her. "We're here. At Moonacre."

"Oh." I say, disappointedly. Slowly, I open the car door, shuffle out, grab my things out of the trunk and walk like the dead to the front door of the manor. Digweed, Mrs. Dogwood's husband, unlocks the door and leads us in. "Sir Robert."

"Yes, Digweed." A tall man with tanned skin, dark, greying hair and steel grey eyes asked him. "This be a Miss Amaris Merryweather. Sir." The man whom I now know to be my uncle stands up. He comes towards me and looks me up and down. A look of disappointment glazes over his eyes and he sighs.

"Pity. I had so hoped that my brother would have sent me a proper young woman. No matter. Mrs. Dogwood, if you would escort Miss Amaris to her room and make her look presentable, please. We are having company." Uncle Robert turns on his heel and left me standing there, gaping at his retreating form.

'_Oh you better run.'_ I growl at him in my mind. "Come along dear, come along." Mrs. Dogwood guides me to my room, up in the tower._ 'This feels like Rapunzel. Maybe I should grow my hair out.'_ I set down my things and stare at the room. To put it simply, it's absolutely gorgeous. _'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.'_

"Well...I'll leave you to bathe. The bathroom is just through this door. Closet is through that door, and of course you know where the exit is. I'll assist you when you're ready. Just ring this bell here."

She exits the room and leaves me be. Exhaling, I move like the undead and get my toiletries out. I move towards the bathroom, and once again, I'm amazed at the elegance of it.

I run the bath water and begin to undress. I stare at myself in the mirror, and try to think. _'Fairly tall, thin, but still curvy, stick straight, short black hair, extremely pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a couple of tattoos and piercings here and there. This is what describes the appearance of Amaris Lunette Merryweather. Someone who sticks out so badly her father sent her away.'_

I stop the bath water and sink myself down into it. My mind flashes back to him._ 'Griffin.'_ His laughing green eyes, olive skin and toffee brown hair flashes through my mind. The feeling of his lip piercing brushing my skin. The first tattoo we got together. The way he would gently hold my hand.

The burning feeling of heartache returns. I finish cleaning myself up and climb out of the tub. Drying myself off, I ring the bell. In a matter of seconds, Mrs. Dogwood, in all of her prim and proper house keeper attire, arrives.

"Now my dear, sit. I shall find something out that is...suitable...for you to wear. You just work on drying that hair of yours." I roll my eyes and plug in my hair dryer. Styling it to the way I want it, I play with the blue streak in my hair. Mom and Dad had been furious when I got it. But as time went by, they learned that hair dye wasn't the worst thing I could do to my body.

"Ah! Here we are!" Mrs. Dogwood exclaims. I turn around and any feeling of happiness I once had is know gone. Mrs. Dogwood holds up an 19th century style dress that has these hideous disk things in the back which I suppose is a bustle.

"Oh no. I'm not wearing that thing." The woman becomes flustered as I walk over to my suit case and pull out a pair of poison green skinny jeans, a white blouse, a black leather motorcycle jacket and a pair of red stilettos. I throw the outfit on and add my arrow earrings, necklace and ring and a diamond stud in my cartilage. A quick swipe of of red lipstick, eyeliner and mascara and I'm ready to go.

"But, Miss Amaris, you can't possibly..." One glare is all it takes to shut her up. "So, who's the old man meeting with?" I ask her as we descend the tower stairs. "Ah...just some business partners."

"Sounds boring." I said, starting to play with a vase. "Sir Robert's business partners have a son and daughter your age." Mrs. Dogwood tried to assuage me. I chuckles a little bit. '_Uptight, spoiled little rich kids. Those would be great to have as friends. Not.'_

"Well best not to keep them waiting." I mimic Mrs. Dogwood and laugh. She blinks and comes out of her daze. "Right. This way."

Mrs. Dogwood leads me down the corridor into the dinning room. Uncle Robert is sitting down at the head of the table, with a balding man wearing a suit sitting next to him. His bulging belly is a vast contrast to the small frame of whom I assume to be his wife. A small, blonde woman, who looks like she's smelled something terrible when she sets her eyes on me. Across from them are what look like the _'perfect'_ children.

Both of them are carbon copies of their mother, with blue eyes and brown hair. They both look uninterested, the girl sticking her nose up like her mother, and the boy looking like he was going to be sick at the sight of me._ 'Perfect. It's Keeping Up with the Joneses.'_

"Ah. Yes. William, this is my niece, Amaris. She'll be staying with me over the year. Amaris, this is Mr. William Holder, his wife Nancy, His daughter Edith, and his son Ayl." He gestures to them as he goes down the row. "I understand that Amaris is high school aged. Will she be attending the local high school?" Mrs. Holder asks.

"No." Uncle Robert tells her rather harshly. "She'll be homeschooled by Mrs. Dogwood." Once again, my uncle shocks me. _'Okay, I get that I'm a screw up, but nothing is going to get better by you keeping me locked up from the world!'_ Mrs. Holder blinks. "Oh. Well, that's an...interesting choice. So, Amaris, how do you like Moonacre so far?"

I slap on my best fake smile and speak in the politest voice I can muster. "Oh, well I only arrived this afternoon, so I haven't been able to see the estate. But I am sure that it will be a wonderful place to stay during the year." Mr. and Mrs. Holder smiled at me and continued to speak with my uncle.

...

The evening went by agonizingly slowly. Ayl and Edith were terribly boring, and by the time they left, I was about ready to tear my hair out. "I believe it is time for you to go to bed now, Amaris. Mrs. Dogwood will wake you up and get you ready. Goodnight." Uncle Robert nods to me and walks to his room.

I slump to my room and change into my pajamas. Snuggling into by bed covers, I look up at the glass panel in the ceiling. Just then, one of the stars starts to flicker and it begins to shoot across the sky, leaving its original spot. '_Weird.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I wake up to the sound of a harp strumming. Stretching, I roll over and to my surprise, I see a plate of cookies on the night stand. Shrugging, I reach over and grab one, taking a bite. "Mmm."_ 'Well, better get dressed.'_

I pull back the covers and stand up, stretching some more. A blue dress that is laid out on the chair catches my attention. I walk over and hold it up. It's a knee length, cobalt blue dress with a lace pattern and a sweetheart neckline. The dress is cute, but the only problem with it is that it's too girly and preppy.

"Sorry, that just won't do."

...

Ten minutes later, I'm walking out of my bedroom wearing a pair of dark wine colored corduroy pants, a white long sleeve t-shirt, an owl pendant on a silver chain, black leather ankle boots, diamond studs,  
and my hair is slightly curled.

Just before I am about to start walking down the stairs, I notice a portrait that I didn't see yesterday. It's of a very beautiful woman with high cheekbones, full lips, golden hair, and full, rosy lips._ 'Hmm. Wonder who it is.'_

Fain's POV:

"Fain! Get your bloody arse out of bed!" 'I'm not in bed, Jeremy.' Is what I want to scream at him, but I know better than that. I just decide to surprise him by opening my door to reveal that I'm fully dressed. "Morning Jeremy. And what brings you to my humble wing?"

"Your father wants to see you." Immediately, any happy feelings I may once have had, are gone. Jeremy, my father's right hand man, usually tells me what my father wants me to do. The only times I ever have to see or talk to my father are at meals or when I'm in trouble.

I decide to briskly walk to my father's chambers. Best not to keep him waiting. Knocking on the door, I wait for a response. "Come in." I hesitantly push open the door. "Ah, Fain."

"You wished to see me father?" Lionel DeNoir. The head of the DeNoir clan. He ruled with an iron fist and practically despised me. Probably because so far my sister and I have both been disappointments.

But today, he did not wear his usual scowl that was always there in my presence. _'Uh oh. I'm in trouble.'_ "Fain, I have a very special assignment for you." I try not to sigh out of relief. He's not angry, but he's too cheery.

"There is a new Merryweather at Moonacre." I hear the disdain in his voice and I clench my jaw and tighten my hands into fists. The Merryweathers. God, I hated them. They were all so priveleged and thought they were better than us.

But the real feud between our two families had started centuries ago. We had once been friends. Until those damn pearls. Each of us accused the other of stealing them, but no one could find them. A Merryweather girl, named Maria, had come to live here at Moonacre. She and my great-great-grandfather, Robin DeNoir, had tried to find the pearls together. But she had jumped off of a cliff to her death and drowned. The Merryweathers still blame us for her death.

"And what do you wish me to do, Father?" I ask, eager to possibly eliminate another Merryweather. "I wish for you to set a trap for her." I blink. "Her, Father?"

"Yes." I knew where he was heading with this. He thought that she was the Moon Princess. "As soon as she leaves that house, set the trap and bring her back here. We need to make sure that she doesn't find him."

"Find who, Father?"

"You'll see. Now get out."

Amaris's POV:

"What do you mean I have to start homeschooling lessons today?!" I practically scream at my uncle. "Your father sent you here so you could become a proper young lady. Lower your voice when you speak to your superiors."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be homeschooled on the regular school system schedule." I say, lowering my tone. My uncle, seeming to know that I won't let this go, submits. "Fine, your lessons will begin in August. But, I need to know that you won't be lying around the house all day long."

Uncle Robert quickly stepped aside and grabbed something. In his hands in a large leather bound book. "Thank you?"

"It details all of the Merryweather's history. I hope you enjoy reading it."

"Thanks."

"One more thing. Do you know how to ride a horse?" The question seems odd, but knowing my uncle, there must be a reason. "Yes."

"Good. In the stables, the red mare on the end is yours. Her name is Crimson. You are free to ride her around Moonacre, but on one condition. Stay out of the woods."

"Thank you uncle." I grin and immediately run out to where the stables are. I spot Crimson on the end and walk up to her. "Hello girl. Want to go riding?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I saddle up Crimson and take off. We ride around Moonacre, but I soon here something coming from the woods. '_Uncle Robert told me to stay away from those woods. Oh well.'_ I spur Crimson in the direction of the forest.

We come to a glen in the woods. "Oh my god." I jump off of Crimson. A small, black puppy is trapped by it's foot in a trap. "You poor thing." I croon to it, freeing it of its trap. "What kind of sick and twisted bastard would do this kind of thing?"

"Funny. I never thought of you as a sick and twisted bastard, Fain." I immediately jump up from my crouching position and whirl around to stare at the source of the voice. Three boys stare at me hungrily, and a bad feeling spreads through my body. "Who the fuck are you?"

Fain's POV:

I have to admit. She wasn't what I had expected. I mean if you had her stand amongst the rest of the DeNoirs, she would have blended in. She had a very thin and tall build. But she curves in the right places. Her black hair was cut to be shaped like that of a pixie's and her piercing blue eyes matched the streak in her hair. They also looked like they were full of anger and hurt and sorrow. Like she was resentful towards the world.

And speaking of piercings, she had tons of them. More than me. Then again, I only had the ear piercing. But she had a stud in her nose, the regular ear piercing, a cartilage piercing, and an eyebrow bar. And her pale white skin acted as a canvas for the many pieces of artwork on her body.

But I couldn't help notice the small needle mark scars on her arms. Or the dark circles under her eyes.

She was far from the prim and proper young lady I had pictured when my father first told me about her. But no matter how much she looked like one of us, she still had to go.

Amaris's POV:

I couldn't help but notice the blonde guy that was eyeing me. He had white blonde hair and amber eyes. He wore a bowler hat, a leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and this ridiculous collar with feathers on it. I also noticed that he had a ear piercing. The way he carried himself reminded me of Griffin.

"We could ask you the same thing Miss Merryweather. You are on our land." The third boy with rusty colored hair told me. I scoff. "Your land? This land belongs to my uncle. Robert Merryweather."

"Ah, so he didn't tell you about us." The blonde Griffin says. "We are the DeNoirs. The clan that also lives in Moonacre Valley. My father so desperately wishes to see you." The one with the dark hair lunges at me and I go into defensive mode.

I punch him in the face and he's out like a light. The rusty guy tries to go after me as well, but he get's a knee to the groin. All that's left is me and the blonde. "Now, seeing as I've taken down both of your friends single handedly, I would advice you to choose your next move carefully."

The blonde smirks. "Alright. I surrender. But may I know the name of the girl who defeated us so mercilessly?" I think about it. '_Do I want to give this ass wad my name?'_

"Amaris. Amaris Merryweather. And what's yours?"

"Fain. Fain DeNoir." _'Fain. Sounds like vein.'_ "Nice to meet you Fain. Now get the hell out of here." Fain smirks once more and tips his hat to me. "Until we meet again, Amaris." And with that, he's gone.

Fain's POV:

Tyler and James rub their sore parts. "She was a bloody lunatic."

"I won't be walking straight for months." They continue to moan and groan, but I tune them out. _'Where on earth did she learn to fight like that? Must be something to do with those scars.'_ "Uh oh. Fain."

I turn towards where Tyler is pointing. "Hello, Father." My father is absolutely fuming. "Fain! How could you not return with the Moon Princess?!" I let my father calm down a little before answering.

"She overpowered us. Gave James a black eye and Tyler...uh...let's just say he'll be sore down there for a while." Father eyes the boys' injuries for a second and turns back to me. "Look, she's obviously not like the other Merryweathers. And traps won't work. We need to gain her trust." Father, realizing that I'm probably right, sighs.

"I don't care how you do it, just get her out of the way." And with that, he storms out of the room. "Boys. Let's find out what makes this Moon Princess tick."

Amaris's POV:

I walk through the front door, cradling the little puppy. "Ah. There you are. We were beginning to worry." My Uncle Robert says from his chair. "Sorry, I was out riding and I lost track of time. I also found this poor dog caught in a trap." Uncle Robert looks the dog over and sighs.

"Then I suppose you are to keep it and take care of it. He is your responsibility now." I nod and start to walk up the stairs to my room, but then I remember something. "Uncle."

"Hmm." He grunts, sipping from his glass. "Who are the DeNoirs." Uncle Robert nearly chokes on his sip of brandy. Once he's done nearly dying, he looks at me quizzically. "Why do you ask?" _'What am I going to tell him? I can't tell him I was in the forest.'_

"Some of the people around the valley were talking about it." I lie. Uncle Robert thinks about it for a minute, then takes another sip of his brandy. "I believe your book will answer your questions." Then he gets up and takes the brandy bottle with him._ 'Guess that's the only answer I'm getting.'_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

_'Uncle Robert said that the book would answer my questions.'_ Said book lies on the bed in front of me. Sighing, I plop myself down on my bed and begin to read.

'Once, the was a woman who was so beautiful, her skin looked like moonlight and her heart was so pure, it could compete with the moon. She loved by nature, as if she were its own daughter. The Moon Princess. And to show its love for her, she was bestowed with the an ancient gift. The Moon Pearls.' I roll my eyes at this. _'Do they really expect me to believe this crap?'_ But, knowing my questions about Moonacre won't be answered by just making fun of the book, I keep reading.

'There were two clans that resided in the valley. Daughter of the DeNoir clan, the Moon Princess was to marry Sir Wrolfe Merryweather. Her father, Sir William DeNoir, blessed their union by presenting the couple with a rare black lion.'

I raise my eyebrow and smirk at the thought of a black lion._ 'What's next? A unicorn?'_ Reading ahead, I saw that there was, in fact, a unicorn in the text. "Figures." I kept on reading for why the DeNoirs and the Merryweathers seemed to hate each other so much.

'Believing that the two men were pure of heart, the Moon Princess revealed Nature's gift to the clans. But their hearts were filled with greed, and each clan attempted to take the Moon Pearls for themselves. Betrayed by the two men she loved most, the Moon Princess placed a curse on the valley. If a pure heart did not return the pearls to the sea and mend the bond between the two families by the 5,000 moon, the valley would be plunged into darkness.'

_'Well that's a little intense.'_ I thought. 'A pure heart did in fact return the pearls to the sea by the 5,000 moon, a young Merryweather girl,but was not able to mend the bond between the families. This only delayed the valley's demise by 2,052 moons.'

'_Where did they pull that number from?'_

'Dear reader,  
I leave this book in your care, hoping that you are in fact the new Moon Princess that will mend the bond. To confirm this, look for signs of life coming back into Moon Acre. The chef Marmaduke Scarlett is also someone who could confirm you being the Moon Princess. Looking through this book, I discovered an article about the Sun Prince. Who he is or how he plays a role in the curse, I don't know. But you must find him, or this valley will be destroyed.

.'

I roll my eyes at the book. Whoever wrote this must be stark raving mad. Moon Princess, there isn't such a thing. Is there?

Fain's POV:

She put down the book and stared at it for a while before leaving her room. _'What is she up to? What did the book say that made her react so badly? I need to find out.'_

Amaris's POV:

Well, at least I why the DeNoirs and the Merryweathers seem to hate each other so much. Ugh, I really hope this curse isn't real. Because my life is already fucked up enough as it is.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Fain's POV:

Amaris hadn't done anything suspicious after that. Nothing. It was becoming hard to watch her. But...there was one thing that I thought was out of the ordinary.

She was always reading that book. And there was a picture that she would always look at. But when she did, she would begin to tear up and run to the bathroom to cry.

I couldn't see the picture, but I knew that whomever or whatever it was, that was her weakness. We needed to see that picture.

Amaris's POV:

The book said to look for the chef. But this damn house doesn't even have a kitchen._ 'Where does the food come from then?'_

It wasn't the only strange thing that happened in this house. The piano played by itself. That picture outside my bedroom door would appear every morning, even though Uncle Robert insisted on taking it down. The cookies would appear on my bedside table and a dress would be laid out on the chair as well. Today, it had been a crimson dress with short sleeves and a ribbon tied around the middle.

But, at least there was on good thing about this place. Riding Crimson, and playing with Wrolf.

The puppy I found in the woods was completely obedient. I decided to call him Wrolf after Sir Wrolf Merryweather. I was playing with Wrolf, when he squirmed out of my hands and ran out of my room. "Wrolf."

I got up from my place on the floor and went after the puppy. Wrolf went down the stairs, past the corridor and down a hall that I had never seen. But something peculiar happened. When Wrolf passes by the mirror, instead of seeing the black puppy that he was, it was a lion cub. A black lion cub.

I stood there for a second, shocked at what I saw, but snapped out of it and continued to follow Wrolf. He came to a panel in the wall, pressed his paw against it, and the panel opened to reveal a doorway. "Wrolf, you little genius." I whispered to the puppy.

Ducking down to get though the small doorway, I gasp as I see what I've...er...Wrolf...has found. _'The kitchen.'_ And sure enough, the chef is there, whistling a tune and moving so fast, the eye sees him popping from one place to the other.

"Are you Marmaduke Scarlett?" I ask him. The little man stops whisking long enough to look at me. "Why yes I am. And you must be Amaris. Pleasure to meet you, Moon Princess." Marmaduke offers out a hand and I take it and chuckle slightly when he plants a kiss on my hand.

"How do you like the cookies?" Marmaduke asks me after he releases my hand and returns to his work. "In a word, delicious." I say, smiling. He smiles back at me. "Now, I suppose you've read the book."

Nodding my head, I sigh. "Yes. There was a note in there, it said that you could confirm whether I was the Moon Princess or not." Marmaduke nodded. "Yes. Robin left that note. He was such a nice lad...but he was never the same after Maria died."

I look at him like he's insane. "Wait, are you telling me that you personally knew Maria Merryweather, whom I'm guessing was the Moon Princess that returned the pearls, and Robin DeNoir, whom I suppose is R. DeN."

"Yes. That's right. I was there when she jumped." Marmaduke says with a cheery smile on his face. "But that would make you over-"

"191 years old. I age well." The man continues to pop around the kitchen and create culinary masterpieces while I stand there in shock. '_191. Impressive.'_

Fain's POV:

"What do you mean you've lost sight of her?!" I scream at Tyler. He grits his teeth and looks at me. "It's like I told you. One minute, she was in the hallway, the next, she's gone. We don't know where she went."

In my frustration, I let out a strangled cry and punch the wall. I turn around to Tyler. "Keep watching that part of the house. When she comes out, we'll make our move. Got it?"

"Yes, Fain."

"Good." I growl at him._ 'Now I know how Father feels whenever his men don't do something right.'_

We need Amaris in order to complete the curse. And damn it if we aren't going to get her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Fain's POV:

I'm dreaming peacefully when all of a sudden, I'm being jolted awake. My eyes snap open and I glare at James and Tyler. "What is it?" I growl at them.

"She came out the house!"

"She's on her horse!"

"She's headed towards the woods!"

I whip the covers off of my previously sleeping form. "Get a move on then!" James and Tyler stared at me. "Well? Move!"

James looks at Tyler, motioning for him to say something to me. They almost look like children who are arguing over who should go first to get their shot. Tyler sighs and steps forward. "Look, Fain, you know that we would give our lives to help you...but for God's sake man, please don't make us go back there!"

I narrow my eyes at them. "What? Are you scared?" To my surprise they nod adamantly. My mouth quirks to the side and stare at them. "Why? She's just a Merryweather. And a girl at that."

The two of them gape at me. "She is not just a 'Merryweather girl.' Did you not see what she did to us? I'm still sore down there."

I glare at them for a moment, then sigh."Fine. But you owe me big time if I come back bruised." James and Tyler grin as I shake my head and walk off to the woods.

Amaris's POV:

I ride Crimson out to the forest. The woods almost hold an enchanting quality. Shadows dart between the trees, making my heart race ever so slightly, but I spur Crimson on.

We come to a clearing. Stopping Crimson, I climb off of her, make my way to a tree, and sit down, my back leaning against the trunk of the tree. Closing my eyes, I let my head tilt back and think of what Marmaduke told me.

'"Oh yes. You are indeed the Moon Princess." Marmaduke tells me after he sees the portrait of the woman outside my door. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, can you tell me how to find the Sun Prince?" He just looks at me quizzically. "I know nothing of this Sun Prince nor how to find him." I let out a sigh and my body takes a defeated form. "But, you only have to mend the bonds between the DeNoirs and the Merryweathers. Who's to say you can't do it without this Sun Prince?"'

I supposed that he was right, but I felt that I would be more successful if I found this guy. "Well, well, look who we have here?"

My head whips up to see someone that I would rather not see right now. Fain looks down at me and smirks. I return his smirk when I see that his lackeys aren't with him. "Where's your posse? Did they get scared of little o'l' me and run?"

He scowls for a second, then the smirk returns. "Yeah, but I'm much braver than them." My eyebrows shoot up. "Really?" In one minute, Fain is face down on the ground and my foot is on his back, keeping him in place.

"How do yoo do tha?" He mumbles into the dirt. I lean down and whisper in his ear, "My secrets are for me. Maybe if you're good and don't try to get in my way, I'll tell you."

"Okay." Smirking, I lift my foot off of him and he flips over to his back. "Come on little one, it's story time."


End file.
